Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter

I'm writing up a fanpost on my trip to the Great American Ballpark, but I can't figure out how to put the pics I have on my hard drive into the text. Any help?

Schaum scouts Allen Caldwell

When you're surrounded by defenders on both sides with no escape in sight, team protocol is to self-terminate.

If you want to read about how poetic and magical baseball is, there are thousands of books out there for you. If you want to read about how baseball is a microcosm of our country, or life in general, there are thousands more. Or, you could just note that Andy Marte is now in the Pirates organization, where he is blocked at the major league level by Brandon Wood. Those last 20 words contain more poetry, information, and meaning than any 400-page book you’ll ever find. Those words are pure, undistilled baseball, for better and for worse.

Has something changed with the site?

Over the last few weeks, when open the site the main page will load, but then it acts like it's trying to load all over again and bogs up my CPU as if the computer were trying to play Jeopardy or something. Literally, when you look at the status bar at the bottom, it tells me that it is loading even though there is nothing left to load. I know part of the problem is a crappy computer, but I've never had this happen with the site before. Thanks for any help.

There’s a reason why Hochevar, despite a strikeout-to-walk ratio of almost exactly 2-to-1, has a career 5.56 ERA. Take a look at these career numbers:

No one on base: .246/.305/.405
Man on base: .316/.385/.504

With someone base, Hochevar allows opposing hitters to bat 70 points higher, with an OBP 80 points higher, and a slugging average 100 points higher. There’s a reason I’m breaking out the bold – that’s an unbelievable difference. Those are career numbers, in a sample size of over 400 innings, so you can’t dismiss them as a fluke.

Moore is also open to dealing prospects for the right long-term fit.

"Always," he said, "if something makes good sense. We’ve got five pretty good left-handed pitchers right now. I’d just as soon hold onto them for a few years and, if we have to deal one or two of them, do so when their value is really high.

"To make a deal, we’d have to get someone in return who is going to be here for a while."

I already miss Dubya's Top Farm Performers. The Royals can be pretty boring.

Kyle Davies has allowed 65 walks, an average of 3.91 per nine innings. He entered Saturday with the second-worst figure in the league.

Soria has Yanks on NO-TRADE list

Fan falls from 2nd deck at Rangers game

Why should a team send two top prospects for David DeJesus? He hasn’t hit for power (13 HRs career high) or stole bases (11, career best). He’s a "nice" player who, on a championship team, would be a fourth outfielder, or bat in the lower third of the order. But to merit two impact prospects? I wouldn’t pay the price for a poor man’s Randy Winn.

Edwin Jackson throws 149 pitches in no-hitter.

Tampa Bay is 3-0 when committing at least three errors.

Wanna know why sabermetrics still hasn't caught on with some baseball fans? Some of us hook up with girls. Do I think Ryan Howard is the best hitter in baseball because he gets 140 RBIs every year? No, but he's a damn good first baseman and I don't need some nerd running lab experiments to tell me so. I'd rather spend my time drinking beers in the parking lot and shouting obscenities in Spanish at passing Mets fans. That's what baseball's all about. If I wanted to do math and science I wouldn't be watching baseball.
--Ragan, Philadelphia

I think he’s athletic enough to do pretty much anything. The body type profiles at a corner (position) more than it does in the middle or behind the plate. But after coming back from across the pond (after five years in Japan) and seeing what Mike Aviles did at short, I’m not so much into body types any more. As long as (a player) can move, and Moose moves pretty well.

But in February, desperation can feel a lot like promise. In February, the unreal can feel real. In February, you are still in the middle of the dream … and you don’t know that you’re dreaming.

The Royals, no surprise, won’t part with first baseman Billy Butler or third baseman Alex Gordon. And the Orioles apparently aren’t interested in anyone else, including the idea of switching second baseman Alberto Callaspo to third. . . .

Unless the clubs rekindle talks, the Royals will likely continue their pursuit of free-agent outfielder Scott Podsednik.

Disco gets defensive

Guys who made this year's All-Star team* are 23-for-119 (.193) with 47 strikeouts against Zack. Also pretty good.

Justin Verlander, who once paid $3,000 for a chocolate milk. Seriously. This was back in high school, and he didn't have any money. He offered a buddy 0.1 percent of his pro signing bonus for 50 cents on the spot. His friend wrote out a contract on a napkin, and Verlander signed it.

Some Good News

The new statue of Ewing and Muriel Kauffman, unveiled before Friday’s game, positions the Royals’ patriarch and first lady walking hand-in-hand and smiling to all they see from their position in the new Outfield Experience.

The smiles are easy enough to explain. Mr. and Mrs. K are facing away from the field.

And here's the irony: a strict slotting system -- at least initially -- will actually hurt the Royals as they currently operate [due to their recent over-slot signings in the draft]. It's a bizarre thing that a rule designed to curb spending could actually hurt the Royals. But it's true. . .

In the international market, the Royals haven't been serious bidders on the most expensive prospects the last two years, preferring to spread their money a bit more.

---I say, maybe it won't hurt that much because they can just put the money into the international market instead of the later rounds.

White Sox land Rios